Two things that young people have always enjoyed is being frightened and hanging out with rapper Ludacris, and MTV’s rebooted incarnation of gross-out/stunt show Fear Factor has apparently been a wildly successful amalgamation of those two beloved thrills. According to Variety, the show has been a “solid performer” with the young adult demographic that MTV depends on so much, and with its 12-episode first season ending tonight, MTV has decided to renew Fear Factor for another 20 episodes.
Variety explains that MTV’s Fear Factor is a “kinder, gentler” version than the NBC show that ran from 2001 to 2006 and essentially revolved around Joe Rogan forcing people to eat various bugs and testicles, with the new incarnation revolving around “the aspirational motivation for contestants to face their fears.” In a statement that is much funnier than it deserves to be, host Ludacris said that he’s looking forward to the new season “being more ludicrous than the first season,” adding, “pun intended.”